Tired
by Optimus Magnus
Summary: PyrusZera, if you no like it, don't read it.  When an exhausted Pyrus collapses in Zera's room, she offers to let him stay there.  From there a bond is forged.
1. Tired, so Tired

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A/N This is a revised edition, thanks to reviewer Mak() for pointing out a continuity error.

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Pyrus was tired; more tired than he'd ever felt in his life; short that it was.  He was walking around in a daze inside the Ice Palace and eventually he came to a room; Zera's room.  With a smile and a spark of life in his eyes, he knocked on the door.  After a small pause Pyrus opened the door himself and looked around: the room was simple and airy; with an ambience of elegance and beauty.

[Much like it's owner] Pyrus thought and sat down on a couch

"I'm so tired" he mumbled and fell asleep on the couch

Zera had just finished helping her father go over some royal papers and some brief weapons training with Jade: this was a theory lesson, a warrior needed not only to know how to use her weapons, but to know the weapon itself.  It had been less tiring than the last actual training session but she wanted to rest in her room for a minute.  Humming to herself she opened the door and walked in, then gasped.

"Pyrus?" she whispered to herself

Indeed it was Pyrus; he looked terrible, like he hadn't slept in days.  With a soft smile Zera walked over to her friend and stroked his brow, a slight wisp of steam came from the contact, but it also jolted him awake.  So startled was Pyrus that he screamed out in shock and jumped up, doing a neat flip right over Zera.

"By the Glacier, Pyrus you nearly gave me a heart attack!" Zera screamed

"Zera, what are you doing here?" he asked, momentarily disorientated

"Pyrus, this is my room" she snapped

"Oh, sorry, I'll be, whoa" Pyrus had a dizzy spell and nearly fell over

"PYRUS!" Zera cried out and quickly caught the Fire prince.

Zera wasn't sure what to do: then she saw her bed and for lack of anything else to do until she was able to contact a medic, put him on her bed.  Then she noticed something in Pyrus's clenched fist.  With a curious eye she pried his tough hand open and saw a bottle of pills: FireWire.

"Stimulants?" Zera was shocked

**----------------------------------------**

Cryos, Graveheart, Zera and Jade stood around Zera's bed while a medic checked Pyrus out.  They were all in a state similar to Zera was a few minutes ago when she called them all to see what was going on.  Cryos was wondering what to tell the new Vizier, a man named Ember when he would undoubtedly hear of this.  Graveheart and Jade were discussing what they thought of this.  The medic got up and began to put his tools away.

"He will be fine.  Just a lack of sleep.  Let him rest for a while" the medic said

"Should we move him to his ship?" Jade asked

"No, its alright, he can stay here" Zera said looking at him softly

Cryos and Graveheart shared a small grin and said nothing as they left the room with the medic.  Jade was the only one left behind.  With a smile, the rock woman shot a knowing look towards Zera.  The ice girl blushed and sat down beside Pyrus on the large bed.  Jade said nothing and followed her other friends.  Zera looked again at Pyrus and smiled.

"Stupid match head" she jibed with a tear in her eye

"I never told you this, but I look to you for some strength at times Pyrus.  I'm going to have to take over Ice at some point, and seeing you do my father's job while you're at my age, it makes me feel better about ruling when the time comes" Zera, thinking Pyrus was asleep

"Thanks" Pyrus groaned

"You're awake" Zera said

A crack of lightening lit up the room as a hailstorm began outside.  During this part of the season on Ice it rained almost constantly.

"I don't know why in the Inferno you would look up to me: I mean I know we jibe at each other but I'm pretty sure a prince who takes drugs to keep awake for meetings and paperwork is hardly a role model" Pyrus said softly

Zera shifted closer beside Pyrus and put her hand on his shoulder.  She'd looked into his schedule and saw that he had been so busy over the last few weeks he'd barely slept and the Vizier wasn't helping.  When she saw Pyrus was asleep again, Zera wrapped her arm around his shoulders.  However the entrance of said Vizier ruined her peaceful moment with Pyrus.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded as Zera leapt in front of him

"The meaning is irrelevant, but the problem is standing in front of me" Zera shot back

"How dare you speak to me in that manner" Ember seethed

"I think we should take this outside while Pyrus is sleeping" Zera said and led the Vizier out into the hallway

"While you are in my palace on my planet, never mind in my private chambers, I will speak how I will" Zera wouldn't back down

"He is a prince of fire, he is strong" the Vizier's words coincided with the reappearance of Cryos

"But he is not invincible, Vizier, he needs his rest like we all do" Cryos tried to be reasonable

"HE HAS HIS DUTY TO HIS PEOPLE" Ember screamed

In a spot of blind rage, Zera walked up and with both of her left hands, slapped Ember with all her might, sending the fire-man careening across the hallway.  Cryos was speechless at this action and was unable to move.  Zera was breathing a bit heavily and was snarling.

"What about the duty he has to HIMSELF?" she shrieked

"Zera-" Cryos began but was cut off

"He is a ruler" Ember hissed

"And no ruler can function without his rest" Zera had calmed down now.  Clenching her fists she spoke again

"Ember, I want you to give Pyrus a week to recover.  If it were up to me you'd be taking most his work for him.  However, a week to rest and enjoy himself so he's refreshed when he comes back will suffice for now" Zera, breathing heavily pointed down the hallway.

"I see, I'll lodge a formal protest with the leaders of the Alliance" Ember replied

"What are you going to do, tell Graveheart and Jade you've been assaulted by a child when you refused to allow your own leader to rest?" Zera spat

The new Vizier; seeing he was defeated in the matter tried to muster as much as dignity as possible and walked away.  Cryos told his daughter that he would talk with her at a later date; but in his own head he was smiling: such emotion and concern he'd not seen in her since her mother died.

Zera, satisfied that the objective she'd set out to complete was done, Zera went into her room again and saw Pyrus thrashing around: he was having a nightmare.  Quickly running and even jumping onto her own bed, Zera hugged Pyrus tightly while whispering words of calming.  When it became clear these would not work, she tried something else.

[Pyrus] reaching out with her mind, as Zuma taught her, she tried to find Pyrus's conscious self

What she saw was actually a memory: it was of Pyrus and another man: he looked so regal and great.  Then they began to move in unison: staffs and hands and feet moving in perfect harmony.  That's when Zera realised that the older man was Pyrus's father, King Magmus.  Then it all went away and Zera was left in a dark space and a figure that looked like Pyrus on the ground, looking tired and pained

[Pyrus, are you all right?] she asked

This question was enough to jolt Pyrus awake and Zera out of his head.  After taking a few calming breaths and losing his disorientation, Pyrus realised where he was.  He looked up at Zera, and still momentarily dazed reached up and stroked her cheek.  Zera blushed and asked what he was doing

"I wanted to see if this was a beautiful dream or a beautiful reality" he answered and lowered his hand, and head.

"Zera, I'm scared" Pyrus whispered

"Only fools and crazies aren't" she answered

"I know, but my fear has been gnawing at me like a lava dog does a corpse, and I've been so tired lately-" he began

"Don't worry, I convinced Ember to let you have a week off to recuperate" she said with a small smirk

"How'd you do that?" he asked, knowing the answer already

"Well, a mixture of my aggressive negotiating skills and my father's diplomacy were sufficient enough" she chuckled

"Thank you so much" Pyrus, crying slightly, snuggled closer to Zera

"What scares you, Pyrus?" Zera got back to the question of the hour

"I don't know: and perhaps that is even scarier: not knowing what you fear" he said, still feeling the effects of the mild sedative the medic had given him

"Pyrus, I'm your friend.  I will be here for you as long as I can be.  And for tonight, I'm not going to leave you" Zera promised

With these final words, Zera laid down next the once again sleeping fire prince.  Some minutes later, Emperor Femur quietly tiptoed into the room and looked upon the sight he long knew would come about.  Zera and Pyrus, long having dispelled rumours of death by contact between fire and ice, were snuggled close to each other.  With his trademark mischievousness, he whipped out a camera and snapped a picture he intended to share with the other leaders of the Alliance

"He he, this should be fun" he giggled with glee as he ran down the hallway.

The End


	2. Waking Up

During the week that Zera had secured for him to recover, Pyrus began taking lessons in meditation and relaxation techniques from both Zuma and Zera.  Also he'd begun to do research into his planet's history; most specifically the ancient fighting arts and legends.  However, that wasn't what was bothering him at the moment.  At this very moment Pyrus was concentrating on someone rather than something: that someone was Zera.

[By the Inferno, what would have happened to me if she hadn't helped me?] Pyrus wondered as he opened up a new viewer to read about some old story about Fire Warriors

"Morning Prince, how are you?" Graveheart asked from the doorway

"Better, thanks to Zuma and Zera" he replied and went to speak to his friend

"Ember has been raising his ire around Zera lately; he's still a bit sore on both counts" Graveheart said

"Well if he touches her, he's stripped of his rank and protection and Cryos can throw him from the highest mountain" Pyrus had been told of Ember being increasingly hostile towards Zera lately

"You're taking this a lot more personally than I might have guessed" Graveheart intoned

"She saved my life and the reputation and the hope of Planet Fire and its people.  I don't think I can ever repay that kind of action" Pyrus sighed and leaned on a chair

"Just make sure she never has to do it again" Graveheart replied and left the young Prince to his own devices.

Pyrus sat back down and began researching the ancient technique he'd heard of in some of the older scriptures: The Blaze; an inhabitant of planet Fire can channel the fire of their body into a single place like their fist of foot.  The Blaze is an extension of that: the fire is concentrated so hard that it flows from every part of the body and could even be fired over a short distance.  Pyrus assumed the actual event was less dramatic than its name sounded, but he found it fascinating none the less.

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Ember was sitting at the council table while Femur and Cryos 'discussed' the trade quotas between their two planets while Jade watched the Vizier very closely: while she was adamant that what Pyrus had done was the very height of stupidity, with his age and all that was expected of him they had to allow for some margin for error.

[He's been actin' edgy all day] Jade thought

"Excuse me, I have business to attend to" Ember said and got up to leave; he steamrolled right past Femur

"Hmmm, I wonder what got him in a bad mood" Femur said and chuckled

"Seein you toad would be enough for me" Jade spoke before she realised how her words sounded

"Awwww, you do care" the reptilian emperor jumped up on the table and smirked lewdly at Jade; Cryos just rubbed his temple in frustration.

Before Jade could grab him by his frill; Femur jumped back, but something fell from his pocket and floated to the table in front of Jade.  So confronting was the image, though not in a bad sense, Jade stopped moving for well over a minute to simply take in the image.  It was the photo Femur had taken of Pyrus and Zera when they were asleep in Zera's room.  While hardly an obscene image, it could still cause both their people some tension.  Jade had to admit it did look kind of cute: Zera had shuffled up and was lying on Pyrus's chest and Pyrus's arm was around her waist.

[By the crown of Mantle, if Cryos or Ember saw this they'd raise the roof] she thought

"Jade, what is that?" Cryos asked, seeing it would be a few minutes before Femur would stop giggling

"Just an old photo I had, must have fell out of my pocket" Jade said and hurriedly grabbed it and put in her armour

Femur just smiled a small smile: neither an arrogant smirk nor a lewd grin, just a smile; like the one given to a fellow conspirator.  Once the meeting was adjourned for lunch, Jade (unwillingly) sought out Femur.  She found him trying to unsuccessfully chat up one of Cryos's female servants.  After saving the poor girl from Femur's less than charming charms, she demanded an answer

"Why have you got that photo, or more to the point, why does it exist?" Jade hissed

"I don't see the problem toots, why should you?" Femur asked, genuinely bewildered

"Their elders will go insane if they see this" Jade was incredulous to Femur's attitude

"They are old enough for that kind of relationship if they want it; so don't have a fissure" Femur brushed her off and drank something

"Look Jade, if you ask me this Alliance is working, but its hard yards for Pyrus, he's still young while we're all adults.  If being with Zera makes him happy then let it be" Femur, in a rare moment of maturity, defended his young friend

Jade could only stand in stunned silence as Femur went to resume his talks with Cryos over the trade quotas and for once in her life of knowing him, Jade thought 4 words she never imagined thinking 'The toad is right'.  With these life-altering words said, however quietly, Jade left to speak with Zera.

"If I'm gonna ask her, it'll be to her face" she muttered

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Zera was practicing her staff combat in a training simulator against soldiers of the various worlds (all holograms of course), the hardest to beat were Fire soldiers.  Bone's troops were powerful but they weren't very smart and a few well placed blows would disable their smart suit and then they went down quick.  More subtle methods were required to beat Ice soldiers and Quariors: using nanites to stop them from moving and quick fewjabs to the head and lower body were enough to do them in.  Fire soldiers on the other hand were harder

"Grrr, stay down" Zera growled as she battered the Fire soldier hologram again and nailed him with a strike to the temple with the pointed end of the pike.  Had the soldier been real, he would have died

"Your pike work has improved" Jade commented from the door

"Thanks to you in no small part" Zera said

"Zera, there is something of a personal matter I need to ask you about" Jade, ever the blunt one, said

"Oh?" Zera was getting nervous

Jade handed Zera the photograph that fell from Femur's pocket.  There was a long silence as Zero drank in every detail of the photo and its possible implications should it fall into less sympathetic hands than Jade's or her own.  Zera put on a brave face and looked straight at Jade.

"What of it?" she asked

"Zera, this could damage everyone involved, including your father" Jade tried to appeal to her love of Cryos

"This was a private moment between me and someone I care about-" Zera clamped her hands over her mouth as soon as the last four words were spoken

"Ah, I see" Jade had her suspicions about this since Zera let Pyrus stay in her room when she found him almost overdosed on drugs

"What do you see?" Zera was confused

"You know what I mean" the rock woman replied and left the room

"Wait, who took the damn photo?" a frustrated Zera cried out and ran after Jade; but she was gone.

In his training hall, Pyrus was concentrating, hard.  He was willing his internal fires to flare up and appear all over his body.  He was attempting a Blaze, according to ancient scriptures it could be attained one of two ways: a life time of fighting training or a single event that caused enough emotional flow to trigger it naturally.  He felt a tiny jolt in his stomach but then it was gone again and he fell to the ground

"Damn it" he cursed silently and picked up his pike to resume his drills

"Hey kid, you're getting handy with that big stick" Femur's lite-hearted voice filled the room

"Hi Femur, how're you doing?" Pyrus asked

"Well, and no offence, in regards as to my health, a bit better than you, but as for luck with the ladies, you've got me beat" Femur's trademark grin appeared on his reptilian face

"Excuse me?" Pyrus's heart began to beat very fast

"Come on kid, you don't need to play innocent with me: I saw you two all cosy last week" Femur was still grinning, wider than normal if such a thing were possible

"Look Femur, nothing happened…" Pyrus assured him, although Femur thought he could sense, apprehension in that statement

"I know that, jeez, I'm not _that_ dense Pyrus.  I'm just saying your track record with women, such that it is, is far better than mine" Femur chuckled

"Oh boy, how many people know these details?" he asked; fearing the wrath of Cryos

"Only myself, and the other obvious parties" he grinned and patted his chest pocket

Femur's eyes snapped wide open: the photo was gone.  Quickly re-establishing his calm façade for Pyrus's sake, he went over this morning's events and realised that the photo must have fallen out when he leapt over to Jade's side of the table earlier today and fallen out.  This meant that they were in serious trouble.

"Femur, you okay?" Pyrus asked

"Yeah kid, fine, listen, I'll leave you be for a while, let you digest this information as it were" he said and backed out of the room

Femur was glad that Pyrus was a little too wrapped up in how to explain this to anyone who may know about it.  Of course now it was highly possible that this was indeed the case so he very carefully backtracked all his steps to places that he could have dropped the photograph.  Just as Femur turned a corner, he ran into Jade, literally.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't give this to Cryos" she threatened and held the offending photograph that Femur was looking for in front of him

"Oh thank the Heart, oh man I thought someone else had it" Femur lowered his heart rate and breath rate

"I'm waiting" Jade barked

"I don't care who you share it with, but then again its nothing to do with me" Femur said and walked away

[DAMN IT, that's the second time today that toad has been right] Jade wasn't having a good day

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Pyrus was again walking around the Ice Palace, although now he was much better than the last time he took the particular route.  Gulping and praying in his head, Pyrus knocked on the door nervously.  Soon, a soft voice wafted from the other side.

"Come in" Zera called

"You know I could be anyone" Pyrus said with a grin as he came in

"But you aren't anyone, you're Pyrus" Zera replied

"What if it wasn't me?" Pyrus asked

"I'd beat the living crap out of you with my pike" she replied in a sweet voice

"Oh, is that so?" Pyrus challenged

"That is so, young prince" Zera retorted, her eyes dancing with fire and her mouth curled upwards in a smirk

"Care to make good on that?" Pyrus extended his pike with challenge in his eyes

"With pleasure lava-head" Zera said and brought her own pike out

"Here, sure you don't want to mess up your bedroom?" Pyrus asked for levity

"In the 10 seconds it will take me to knock you out, I won't even scuff the carpet" Zera cried and leapt forward

Pyrus blocked the strike easily and smirked at the female Ice being.  Zera's eyes twinkled and she tried for a low strike but Pyrus just used a low block to parry the move.  Zera pushed herself off and took a guard position: clearly the meditation training had helped Pyrus.  Zera decided to up the ante and closed her pike.  Pyrus, sensing the challenge; also closed and discarded his pike.

"Think you can handle me?" he asked smugly

"If I can handle Jade, then you're not a problem" Zera said and launched into a furious barrage of punches, using all four of her arms

"Well, this is, far more, challenging" Pyrus grunted as he blocked the punches and retaliated with a few kicks to get Zera to back off

One powerful kick was all Pyrus needed to get Zera to a more manageable distance and with one powerful move, Pyrus kicked Zera's legs out from under her then with a little less power kicked her across the face.  Zera blocked the face kick but its power was enough to send her sprawling backwards.  Still dazed, Pyrus jumped on top of Zera and pinned her, only then did he really notice they were on her bed.

"Do you yield?" he asked

"No way" Zera hissed

"Well, this bed is comfortable so I can lay here as long as I need to before you surrender" Pyrus boasted with a grin

[Wanna bet hot stuff] Zera went red when she realised she thought that in a very different context

"Zera, is my flame reflecting off you or are you embarrassed?" Pyrus teased

"I'll show you" Zera muttered

Pyrus had become accustomed to surprises over the many months of the Alliance.  Beast Drone attacks, War Councils and other assorted shocks of being a ruler.  However none of these prepared him for what happened next.  Zera leaned up and kissed Pyrus softly.  His grip relaxed and Zera's arms were free: he half expected her to knock him flat but instead they snaked their way up his back.  Although just so Pyrus knew who was in charge, Zera flipped them over so she was on top of him.  The kiss then broke.

"You scared the hell out of me last week, I thought I'd lost you" Zera said

"I nearly lost myself.  I never imagined I'd mean that much to you, I'm sorry" Pyrus replied, stroking her cheek

"Well you do, stupid matchstick" Zera said and laid down beside him again

"Zera, do you know that there is evidence of our close relationship in the possession of Femur?" Pyrus asked

"What, but I though Jade had the photo?" Zera said

"OH CRAP" they both yelled in unison


	3. Wide Awake

"What do you mean 'Thank the Heart', you knew I had the photo moron, you let me keep it!" Jade cried incredulously

Femur seemed to still for a few seconds then he looked rather sheepish and stupid.  Mumbling something along the lines of 'Oh yeah, I remember now' he dusted himself off.  Satisfied that the secret of Pyrus and Zera's relationship was safe, Femur went upon his merry way.

"Femur!" Jade yelled at the arrant Bone Emperor

"Like I said, toots, your call now" Femur, remembering his words from before

Jade was again at a loss: on the one hand she owed it to Cryos to tell him about this since they were friends and she was worried about Zera.  One the other hand she had a loyalty to Zera because the two were also friends, almost siblings and so the dilemma was upon her.

"Oh great, what a thing to be faced with" she muttered

"Femur you rat, I'm going to get you for this" Jade grouched as she walked away

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Zera and Pyrus were pacing around Zera's room, wondering what to do about their situation.  Zera was being highly strung about what her father was going to say and how this would affect the alliance between the planets.  Pyrus on the other hand was not as concerned about what other people thought.  Zera looked and saw that Pyrus was not as panic-stricken as she was.

"Pyrus this situation is serious" she cried

"Not really" he said

"How can you say this isn't serious" she was incredulous

"Oh there is a serious situation here but it is between you and I, not them, us" Pyrus said

Zerra stopped and looked at the picture of her mother that was positioned on the dressing table.  She picked it up and opened the frame and took the photo out.  On the back was a caption written in old Ice runes that Zera had learnt to read many years ago.

"It is not for others to tell you how to live, nor who and how to love.  Love like there is no tomorrow, and it will last longer than the sun and moon" Zera said, reading the caption

"Hmmm?" Pyrus asked

"Something my mother said to me, I always thought it was a bit silly…" she trailed off

"But now?" Pyrus prodded

"Now I'm beginning to see truth in every single word" Zera said, finally calming down

Pyrus chuckled as Zera sat down and put her face in her hands.  Pyrus put his hand on her back and gently rubbed it.  Zera groaned; her back was sore and the slight heat from Pyrus's hand and his gentle rubbing eased the pain and tension.  Pyrus smiled at Zera: he'd been pulled back from the brink because of her.  He owed her his life.

"You wanna go and speak to your father?" Pyrus asked

"I should go and see him, alone though" Zera added when she saw Pyrus get up

"You sure about that?" he asked

"Yeah, don't worry.  The worst he can do is yell at me" Zera said

"I need to head back to the Battlemoon for something, I won't be long" Pyrus remembered

"Okay, see you in a few" Zera gave Pyrus a quick peck on the lips before she left

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The trip to the Battlemoon was quick and smooth, yet full of thought.  In exactly 2 years, Pyrus would be old enough to become King instead of just Prince.  As it stood however he was old enough to try and obtain an advantage.  A secret entrusted to him by his father before he died all those years ago.

"I have a feeling I will need it soon" Pyrus said to himself as he entered the secret room

The room was not much bigger than 15 feet by 20 feet and lit my dim candles.  The walls were covered in ancient Runes and Script of Planet Fire; in the centre of the room stood the purpose of Pyrus's visit, a sword.  The weapon was old, the best scientists on Fire had tried to pin down how old it was but they'd never succeeded.  Hence it became known as the Eternal Flame, the blade was solid flame with a black onyx going right up the middle of the blade that flowed down and became the handle.]

"I know no other leader of Fire in known history that has been able to wield you, but now all of the people in the cluster is in danger" Pyrus spoke to the sword

The weapon didn't make any kind of response: he never expected one, but ever since he'd been a child he'd gone into this room and spoken to the sword as if it was some kind of mystical confidant.  Its glowing presence was warm and welcoming; he'd even gone so far as to come here when his father died.

"I feel silly, at this age, talking to a sword, but…" Pyrus rubbed the back of his head; the glow of the sword dulled slightly

"But the fact remains I need your help and if you'll let me, I'd like to be the first in known history to be your ally" Pyrus paused and grasped the handle

"For Fire, for love and for life" Pyrus said and drew the sword

Magically the weapon slipped out of its sheath and Pyrus held it aloft, marvelling at its lack of weight.  Pyrus gave the weapon a few experimental swings and slashes: it was almost as if he was swinging his arm around.  With a smile, Pyrus secured the sheath to his hip and placed the sword inside it.

"Thank you my friend" he said to the sword as he walked humbly from the room.

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Zera walked quietly through the palace towards her father's study with all sorts of questions rolling around in her mind; what to ask, what to argue with and other sorts of problems.  The door to the study was open a crack so Zera peered in and saw her father and Graveheart in the middle of a discussion.

"I can see it in their eyes Cryos, the mean a lot to each other.  Trying to stop them would be pointless" Graveheart said

"That why I hate having to say this; I see what's between them and it makes me believe the Alliance will really work, but, are the people of both Ice and Fire ready for that kind of relationship" Cryos said with true anguish

"Are you going to ask them to separate?" Graveheart asked

"No, I could never in good conscience ever ask that of my daughter, and I know Pyrus would just ignore me" Cryos chuckled

"So what will you do?" Graveheart further enquired

"I will simply ask them to keep it, private" Cryos said

Before Zera could knock on the door, the alarms sounded: Beast Drones.  Zera quickly ran towards the hanger where the Aurora was docked: she intended to be in this fight.  The soldiers on the planet scrambled to their fighters and other ships.  Once on board the Aurora, Cryos ordered the fleet to move out for battle.

"Sir, we're coming into range" a soldier said from the tactical console

"Prepare to fire" Cryos said

In a drone flagship, Blokk was waiting in anticipation for his move.  Voyd had planned this down to the letter with Lamprey and himself; it was the perfect plan.  He stood on a large platform with several other Drones.  The Aurora came into range and after a sufficient pummelling in the right area; the ship's shields went down.  With a smile, Blokk hit the execute command and he and the Drones were transported into the cargo hold on the Aurora

"Drones, spread out and set up a small base" Blokk said

Pyrus was rocketing towards the battle zone and he intended to help.  He saw the Aurora was under heavy attack; putting his Flamsail into battle mode, he zeroed in on the enemy ships and let them have it.  He fired his weapons and took out many of the beast drone ships surrounding the War cruiser.  After those drones were destroyed, Pyrus smelt a rat.  Like the time Lamprey took over Tekla's body, this attack was small and lacked a purpose.  He radioed his intention to dock in the Aurora.  Graveheart okayed the docking.

[I don't like this feeling of foreboding] Pyrus was feeling a little anxious as he got off his Flamesail and stood on the deck of the Aurora

"Private.  Is Lady Zera onboard?" Pyrus asked a patrolling soldier

"I don't believe so, sir" the soldier replied

[That means she is here, and no one has found her yet] Pyrus allowed a small smile to cross his face as he walked towards the bridge.

With an afterthought Pyrus removed a special communication device that Zera had built: she also had one and it allowed even planet-to-planet communication: Zera had hacked a computer and found the lock on signals for the various comm-satellites within the cluster, so they were able to bounce the signals off those satellites and used their repeaters to strengthen the signal.  It was a brilliant piece of engineering in his opinion.

"Hailstorm this is Lavaflow, you read?" he asked

"Lavaflow, I read you.  Pyrus, get to the bridge.  Tell my father there are Beast Drones on board the ship" Zera whispered in hushed tones

"What's your location?" Pyrus asked quickly

"The uninhabited cargo area.  Deck 7" Zera finished her transmission fast

Pyrus broke into a run toward the elevator to go to Deck 7, using his comm-unit he patched into the Aurora's main system and got onto Cryos.  He explained the situation as it stood and told Cryos where to meet him with the soldiers.  Pyrus could feel the sword at his hip humming and see it glowing.

"Well, the Beast Drones will soon feel the burn" Pyrus thought as he hit the button in the elevator.

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Zera was crouched down in a dark corner of the cargo bay with two pistols in her main set of hands; grenades and other incendiary devices in the other set.  She was watching the Beast Drones set up for a massive assault on the ship's occupants.  With a malicious grin on her face: she pulled a pin out of her shrapnel grenade and rolled it into the middle of the Drones.  They looked at it before the grenade exploded, the force of the blast taking them out and the shrapnel severely damaging their equipment.

"Take that Beasties" she sniped and jumped to a different corner to avoid being caught

Zera didn't notice a pair of green eyes approaching her, or the carefully masked footsteps until it was too late.  Blokk grabbed the girl, her special phase-shifter stopped his touch killing her but he had her now.  Zera tried to shoot him but Blokk took her weapons from her.

"You are a pesky little girl aren't you?" he said as Zera struggled to get free

"Let me go you evil creature" Zera hissed

"I don't think so.  In fact I think I'll just kill you right now"

Blokk positioned Zera's body in his fist and drew back his other fist to run Zera through with the large blades on his hands.  Zera, in fashion to her fiery nature and courage looked him straight in the eye.  Then an orange blur appeared between them as Blokk struck.  His hand ricocheted of the blade of a sword.  Zera recognised the back of that head.

"Pyrus?" she said

"In the flesh" he joked

Before Blokk could regain his footing, Pyrus slashed the arm holding Zera, the pain was enough to make Blokk drop Zera.  Once dropped, Zera threw another phase-shifter to Pyrus.  He put the device on and took up a ready stance against Blokk with the sword.  The Ice soldiers burst in and surrounded the group.  Pyrus told them to scan the area for other Drones that Zera had missed.  Blokk looked at Pyrus with a real hatred.

"I think the Beast enjoyed eating your planet Prince" Blokk tormented

"Then come and feel the bite of Fire" Pyrus snarled

Blokk lunged forward and swiped at Pyrus, who parried and returned the strike with his sword, the blow hit Blokk like an Ion cannon, sending him across the room.  He looked at the weapon that struck him with curious eyes as he staggered to his feet.

"What is that?" he asked

"This weapon is older than my planet's history, its power ancient and its origin unknown.  All I know is that it kicks your butt" Pyrus retorted and continued to attack

Pyrus and Blokk continued to trade blows with their bladed weapons as the men of Ice and his friends looked on, somehow reluctant to interfere with the fight.  Jade watched in seriousness; she saw a warrior fighting Blokk, not a prince, not a boy, a warrior and the reason was as old as time itself: love.  Pyrus would fight Blokk any day but to see him do so with such ferocity and strength, she knew that Zera had been in danger.

[Show us the heart of one who loves] Jade thought as Pyrus scored a blow on Blokk's chest

Suddenly Pyrus swept Blokk's legs from under him and stood on his chest, the tip of the sword at the Beast minion's throat.  Blokk looked up into the Fire prince's eyes and he saw a power, a soul that he as a being of nothingness could not comprehend.  Pyrus was breathing deeply and he looked into Blokk's eyes.

"If I kill you, I'd be a murderer in my eyes, in the eyes of others I might be a hero" he paused and let his enemy take this in.

"However, I can't find it in myself to kill you as you are, a defenceless, pathetic creature" Pyrus stopped and stepped away from Blokk, his blade still raised

"Get out of here.  Go back to your master and tell him, we are not afraid" Pyrus let out a breath and walked away from Blokk towards the Ice soldiers and began to instruct them on what to do with Blokk

Zera walked across to see him and ask him what he was doing: letting Blokk go was madness in her mind.  As Blokk got up he a chance to take the prince out and he took it.  With a weapon he hid within his body he shot at Pyrus.  Zera saw the attack and cried out to Pyrus.  The scene almost happened in slow motion: Pyrus turned around and saw the energy bolt heading for him.  He froze, momentarily he didn't know what to do: then a blue shape appeared in front of him.

"Zera?" he said softly

The bolt hit Zera's upper body and sent her spinning to the ground.  Pyrus was now out of his bizarre trance and at her side immediately trying to close the wound and help her.  Blokk was laughing loudly as he stood in victory.  Pyrus looked down and saw the biggest part of his world in pain she may never recover from.  Rage built within him like lava in a volcano, his eyes went from orange to red, from rim to rim.

"Pyrus, Blokk will not escape.  We've got the whole ship on lockdown" Graveheart said

[She saved me again, and I could do NOTHING.  I will find Blokk and I will KILL HIM] Pyrus's thoughts were violent, angry: and had a physical manifestation

Cryos and the others attended to Zera; who was unconscious.  Then they felt a glow and a rise in temperature in the room.  They turned to look at Pyrus: his body's natural flame was roaring beyond normal size and he was growling.  The sword he held was sprouting fire also.  Pyrus himself seemed to grow several inches taller and broader in all areas.

"By the Glacier; what is happening to Pyrus?" Cryos asked

"It is a Blaze" Ember, who had remained unnoticed til now, said to the group

"What is a Blaze?" Graveheart asked

"When a being of Fire trains enough, or is pushed beyond their limits, a Blaze occurs.  It rushes the blood, strengthens the body and unleashes tremendous power" Ember explained

Pyrus was oblivious to this; all he saw the confused Blokk and what Blokk did to Zera.  With another growl he launched himself at Blokk, his sword in a stabbing position.  Blokk only just managed to parry the blow and he jumped up.  Pyrus sneered and jumped up to get him.  Pyrus made a wide slash and managed to get Blokk again, at the abdomen area.  With a groan the minion of the Beast fell to the ground.  Pyrus landed beside him.

"Murderer" he snarled

Using his foot, Pyrus flipped Blokk over and again put the sword near Blokk's vital area.  Only this time, he did not hesitate and ran the sword blade through the creature's body, but not in such a manner that it would kill him, only hurt.  As the Beast minion staggered to his feet he looked at the fast calming and reverting Pyrus.

"Go back to your master.  Return and I shall not let you go again" Pyrus said, panting.

Blokk was not one to stay where he was not wanted AND in danger.  So he used his teleport device to leave the ship.  All eyes were again on Pyrus as he sheathed his sword.  He then stumbled around a little as he walked forward, then he totally collapsed on the ground.  Cryos ordered them both to be taken to the infirmary.

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Pyrus opened his eyes and saw that he was in a strange place full of fire, and ice, and bone and rock and things he'd never seen before.  People he recognised as being of the various planets of the Alliance mixed freely, many embraced each other and kissed openly.  It seemed that he'd woken up in some distant future where the old hatreds were gone and new loves put in its place.  Suddenly he heard a voice yell.

"The Republic Procession, here it comes" a voice yelled

There was much cheering at the news.  Pyrus picked himself up and elbowed his way through the crowd to a point, but still could not see.  Then suddenly a friendly man of Rock spoke to him

"Can't see young one?" he asked with kind eyes

"No I can't" Pyrus answered

"Here, sit on my shoulders" the man replied and lifted the young Fire boy up as if he were nothing

From the vantage point on the kind man's shoulders, Pyrus saw not an over elaborate guard, but a small group of people of many races.  The two in the centre were the ones he was most interested in: a tall and strong looking man of Fire and by his side was a regal and equally strong looking woman of Ice, a pair of children with them.  He swore he recognised the woman but was unsure.  Another voice in the crowd however, answered his silent question.

"Lady Zera and Lord Pyrus, we welcome you to the Cluster Republic Senate" a man of office said

Those words floored him like a hit from a Quarrior: he was seeing himself and Zera in what looked like, 30 or so years in the future.  For him though he knew such a thing was impossible and he climbed off the Rock man's shoulders; thanked him and ran into an alleyway.  He just shook his head.

"How am I seeing this?" he wondered

"Because I will it" a deep voice said

Pyrus whirled around and saw another man of Fire, but this one was different to the others in a way that Pyrus could not put into words.  The man smiled and walked forwards till he stood in front of the young prince.  He smiled and bowed his head.

"Hello Prince Pyrus, I am Flame, and I am an, incarnation if you will, of the sword you grasp in your hands" he said

"You're the, the…" Pyrus was speechless

"Yes.  I wanted to thank you, you have been the first Ruler of Fire for many centuries to be worthy of me.  Your father was also worthy but vowed a mortal such as he should not wield such power" Flame explained

"I see, but, why did you will me to see that?" he asked, pointing to his future self and family

"Well, I think in these dark times a good dream is hard to come by.  You deserved one so I gave it to you.  The other reason is to give you a message, to be truly the greatest King of Fire, you must save with sacrifice" he said cryptically

"What?" Pyrus was confused

"Farewell Prince, we shall not see each other in your lifetime again" Flame said and clapped his hands

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Pyrus woke up with a start in the Aurora Infirmary, sword in hand.  Its blade however was half gone so one could touch the onyx crystal that held the flame.  He looked to his left and saw Zera on another bed, still asleep.  He slowly righted himself and walked over to her bedside and pulled a tall chair over so he could watch her.  He watched her, not blinking or moving for nearly five hours, when Graveheart came in

"Hey Pyrus, how are you?" he asked

"Fine Graveheart, what is Zera's condition?"

"I am afraid she's dying your majesty" Graveheart replied with low spirits

"What?" Pyrus spun around

"The wound is fatal.  You've been asleep about a day.  In that time we tried everything.  But the doctors said she will die" Graveheart explained as the others of the Inner Circle came in

"Cryos I'm so sorry" Pyrus said softly

"It is not your fault young Prince, I know how, you two were" he said quietly

"The doctors are about to shut off the life support, if it pains you, you may leave" Cryos added

"Oh god" Pyrus squeezed his eyes shut as tears rolled down them

An Ice doctor came in and said in five minutes, he would turn off the machines.  Last words were to be brief.  Jade simply saluted, one warrior to another, Femur placed the photo he snapped of her and Pyrus together by her face.  Tekla and Graveheart simply said goodbye.  Cryos had long said his goodbye and only embraced his daughter once more.  Last to say or do anything was Pyrus.

"I love you" he said and kissed her lips once more.

Slowly the doctor reached for the main switch to deactivate the most precious life in Pyrus's existence.  All because he got cocky with that stupid sword.  The sword.  He looked over at it and remembered his dream '_You must save with sacrifice_' were his words.  Revelation dawned on him and he saw the machine about to be deactivated

"Stop" he breathed

"I'm sorry Prince Pyrus, but she will never recover and is in great pain" the doctor again tried to turn the switch off

"NO" Pyrus again powered up a Blaze and grabbed the doctors hand

"Touch that switch and I'll kill you myself.  I can save her, and I will" he said and let the man go

Too stunned to move, the doctor allowed Pyrus to get the sword off his bed and walk back to Zera with it.  The others were terrified of what he would do: his heightened state made him stronger than any of them combined.  Cryos demanded to know what was going on.  Pyrus put his sword on Zera's chest and made her grasp it.

"Now pray I'm right" he said and reverted

As soon as he did, a red aura appeared around Zera's body.  And what was left of the sword blade began to shrink and disappear until there was nothing left but a large black jewel.  The doctor looked at the readout.  Zera's body was totally healed.  Before another word was spoken, Zera opened her eyes.

"Father, Pyrus, what is everyone doing here?" she asked

"We just dropped in to see you" Pyrus cut everyone off

"Oh, how long was I asleep and what is this?" she asked, holding up the sword

Suddenly what remained of the sword turned into light and hovered over them.  It seemed to be looking at Pyrus.  The Prince knew he was looking at Flame and he wondered if what he did was what Flame was talking about.

"I have a question for you Pyrus: why did you save her?" it asked

"Because I love her" he said

"Even though you knew it may rob you of a powerful weapon and that she is not one of Fire's people" it replied

"Race is irrelevant in affairs of the heart and weapons mainly take life, but when I saw the Eternal Flame could be used for a nobler purpose so I took the chance" he said

"What if you saved the wrong person?" it taunted

"She may seem like the wrong person to you, but to me there was no other person more right" Pyrus was staunch

"You passed the test Pyrus, congratulations.  May you all go in peace and happiness" it said to everyone and faded away.

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Many hours later, Pyrus was in his room on the Battlemoon when his attendant knocked on the door.  Pyrus looked up and bid the man enter.  Zera followed the attendant in and told him to go.  The large man bowed to them both and left the room.  For a moment Zera just stared at Pyrus and he at her.  Finally she closed the gap between them and looked into his eyes

"What you said in the Infirmary, did you mean it?" she asked

"Every single word" he replied and touched her cheek

"I'm taking a big risk Pyrus and so are you; the majority of our people will not stand for this relationship" she said as Pyrus stood

"Then they may sit in shock till they are used to it.  I do not care about what they think, only about what you feel" he explained

Zera smiled and jumped on Pyrus and again they fell on the bed.  It was large and soft and at the right temperature so that it kept Pyrus warm but did not hurt Zera.  Again they kissed, they stayed like that for a long time til sleep took them.  They slept together in that bed, for the first time….

….But not for the last

**The (Actual) End**


End file.
